Aoihana 青い花
by Mnema
Summary: "Heaven for me would be to relive all of my best memories... truly, what else could heaven be?" Aoihana 青い花 "Blue Flower" is a story inspired by Anohana retold with the characters from Harvest Moon 64. (Border-line mature themes/descriptions)
1. August

**Chapter 1: August**

It was just another day pushing through the summer heat.

It was early in the month of August during what the people of Flowerbud Village called "the dog days of summer." Whatever that meant. All I knew was that me and Bruno were both panting from the heat and in desperate need for water.

"Come on boy," I called half-heartedly as me and the old dog made our way over to the small pond next to the chicken coop. The sky was so blue that day, the clouds reflected the sun's light so brightly that it hurt to look up. I kept my eyes downcast as I made my way across the thick green grass of the pasture-but I could have sworn I saw someone standing under the old oak tree that shaded the pond. I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw locks of pink hair dancing on the tips of the wind that gushed past me and brought the blades of grass around my feet in a frantic dance.

_'You have to stop doing this to yourself.'_

Bruno barked excitedly as I ran to the pond's edge and splashed the icy water onto my burning face. Nothing could wash away the feeling of her though; a feeling that was strong enough to take away the summer heat. I thought I was over it, or at least at a point where I was able to deal with it. I told myself it was a mirage caused by the heat.

"Ohhh, I feel so bad, you're out here working hard getting all sweaty, and here I am just playing like a kid!"

I was hallucinating.

In the water I could see ripples of pink slowly moving towards my reflection. I looked up to see her, the sunlight illuminating her beautiful face and the infinite, bright sky expanding outwards from her. She looked just as she did the last time I saw her. It was as if no time had passed at all. She smiled and I felt that familiar, warm glow cast down on me.

"You look so exhausted, are you okay? Let's go inside and get some tea—oh."

I walked back through the field towards the house. I needed to sleep. During that time, I had been plagued by nightmares and I figured that the lack of sleep had finally caught up with me. Add the summer workload and the heat of August on top of all that and it would be enough to stretch any sane man to his limits, and I was far from sane.

"Jaaackkk! Why are you walking away from meee!" There she stood in front of me, her skirt moving freely in the wind and her pink lips twisted downward into a pout. Regardless of the expression, her face was enough to soften the hardest of souls. I sighed at the memory and bit my lip in an attempt to hold back tears. I kept walking to escape her image.

"Jack…do you…not like me anymore?" I felt a hand on my arm. Her hand. I froze in terror.

_'What is happening to me…why is this happening to me?!'_

Her slender, feminine fingers moved over her cheeks as tears started to stream down her face. She looked at me with those eyes-those eyes that I thought I had committed to memory long ago yet they looked so much deeper than I remembered. She hid her face in her hands as she began to cry.

"Poppy…" a name I hadn't uttered in years came falling from my mouth so naturally, "…is it really you?"

"I…I…" she pulled her hands away from her face and looked into them, then began to sob, "I don't know!"

I held her. Since that fateful day seven years prior, I hadn't felt her warmth, or smelled her hair, or touched her soft skin. I yearned for her with every day that passed; the mere thought of her was enough to send me into a week or longer of reclusiveness and depression. Since her death, I had never fully recovered and I had been living my days as a shell of my former self. With her, I had felt alive and free…and happy. The loss of her had sent the entire village into a state of despair for she had truly been the light in all our lives. And somehow there she was, in my arms under the infinite sky as if not a day had gone by.


	2. Friendship

**Chapter 2: Friendship**

"Hey! Look what I just found!"

"Oh wow…!"

A little girl with freckles and unruly, red curls holds a small wooden box with a sturdy grip. The other girl touches the box gingerly, dark fringe and glasses obscure the excited expression on her face.

"Ohhh…let me see it!"

A third little girl, smaller than the others, runs over to join them. Her hair is so light it is almost iridescent which gives the curls somewhat of a pinkish hue. The three of them stand beneath an old oak tree and admire the box.

"Hey what're you sissys doin'? We're tryina play a game!" says a boy with a ball cap and freckles on his face that reveal his relation to the red-haired girl.

"Oh shut up, Gray, you're the meanest and the stupidest!" yells his sister as the two start to quarrel.

"No, please stop fighting!" begs the smallest girl, her eyes swelling with tears, "Gray's not mean or stupid, Ann! I wish I had a brother to play with." The boy hides his blushing face under the shade of his ball cap as the girl with glasses blushes from his presence.

Two more boys come running to meet the group. One of them is slightly pudgy, his face red with exertion and his blonde hair wet with sweat. The second boy wears a ball cap very similar to the other boy except that he prefers to wear his backwards with the bill in the back, tuffs of brown hair poking out of the front. A smile is plastered on both of their faces; their youthful laughter is carried on the warm summer breeze.

"Jack, look what I found!" exclaims the red-head as she proudly displays her finding to the boy with the backwards hat.

"Wow that's cool, Ann!" replies the blonde boy, his eyes full of excitement as he goes to grab the box but she pulls it away from him, "noooo, not you Cliff! I want Jack to see it!"

Ann extends the box towards the other boy who instead walks past her, not noticing her gesture.

"Hey Poppy, why are you crying?" he asks as he puts his hands in his pockets. The girl hurriedly wipes her eyes and smiles a big smile, "I'm not crying! Look at this beautiful box Ann found…" Only then does the boy notice the girl who is holding the box.

The group, three boys and three girls, fight to see the box and struggle to open its rusted latch. Finally, they open it to reveal a melody that had been trapped inside for a long time.

"Oh, a music box!" says the girl with glasses.

"Wooooww! It's so beautiful!" says the small girl as she throws her arms outward and begins to dance to the music.

"Hmph, that's dumb," says the red-haired girl as she throws the box on the ground. The small girl gasps and falls to her knees.

"Noooo, you'll break it! It's so pretty…I love it!" she begins to cry as she holds the old, wooden box in her small hands. Ann walks away with the pudgy boy following closely behind. Her brother follows, since he does not want to appear interested in a girly music box, and the girl with glasses silently observes him as he walks away.

"Don't cry, Poppy, we can fix it," says Jack to the small girl, "but we'll hide it for now and…make a map! That way we won't forget where it is!" He puts his hands on his hips exerting confidence which brightens the girl's face. "And one day, we'll get it fixed!" The little girl laughs as she clasps her hands together.

"Mary, you want to help us make a map? You're the best draw-er!" she asks the girl with the glasses. She quietly agrees.


	3. Sherbet Sunset

**Chapter 3: Sherbet Sunset**

"Hey man, wanna go up to Moon Mountain?" yells a slightly older and much leaner Cliff from the entrance of the farm, his arms showing the evidence of labor and his hair a darker version of the blonde it used to be. He nods towards Ann with a wink, the red-head who still hadn't quite figured out how to tame her amber locks. She is unaware of Cliff's suggestive gestures as she is too busy fretting with a bobby-pin that's hanging in a knot of copper hair.

"Uhh, we're just gonna hang here for a bit, we'll catch up with ya!" replies Jack from the pasture of his grandfather's farm. Jack had always been somewhat lean, but recently his shoulders had broadened and he had grown to be taller than most of the men in town. Ann yanked at the bobby-pin and out with it came along a clump of hair. The expression on her face reveals her displeasure in the fact that Jack and Popuri weren't coming along, but no one seems to notice her audible sigh.

Jack remains sitting up as the long, smooth pasture grass brushes at his shoulders. He closes his eyes and takes a long, deep inhalation then smiles as he looks out at the sun that was beginning to melt into the horizon.

"It looks like sherbet ice cream…"

"Haha, what does?"

"The sky!" Jack looks down at the girl lying beside him in the grass. A long-time friend whom he has always cared for but recently his feelings have started to take on a more mature nature. Her eyes are closed so he takes the opportunity to let his eyes linger a little longer on her, noting the shape of her chest and the sharp decent it takes into her petite waist. She is wearing a pale yellow sun dress that she had worn for the past few summers, only this year it seems to fit her differently. She sits up abruptly, her long pink hair tumbling forward to conceal everything he had just been looking at. All the blood rushes upwards into his face as he becomes worried that she had caught him.

"Heyyyy…why didn't we go with Ann and Cliff to Moon Mountain?" she asks innocently, "and boy do you look sun burnt!" Though he is thankful she didn't notice his blatant ogling, he couldn't help but laugh at her naivety.

"We didn't go with Ann and Cliff because Cliff's gonna try to get it in…" he gives her a sly expression as he makes a thrusting gesture with his fists. This time her face becomes red with embarrassment.

"Nuh uh…Cliff's not like that and neither is Ann," she retorts matter-of-factly.

"Oh yeah, well what does that mean?" he asks playfully, "you love flowers and butterflies, and that's all they do is have pre-marital sexytime." She furrows her eyebrows and puffs out her cheeks in her trademark puffer-fish madface.

"Stop teasing me, I don't want to talk about it." They become quiet as the sky takes on less of a sherbet hue and more of a vibrant bowl of fruit cocktail shade.

"Do you remember that music box we buried when we were kids?"

He thinks for a moment, "Hmm, maybe I do. Man, it's been so long I can't really remember." She goes on in detail about the size and shape of the box, the type of music it played, the way the sky was that day, the color dress she was probably wearing, all in an attempt to jog his memory. "Okay, maybe I kind of remember it, but I don't have a clue where it is."

She seems disappointed in his answer and despite his attempts to change the subject, her mind is set on finding the music box. Before the sun sets completely, they begin their walk to Popuri's home since her parents are very strict about enforcing her curfew. On their way into town, they meet two of their friends at the crossroads.

"Mary…Gray!" she runs up to greet them and hugs the girl, "where you guys been all day?"

"We were at the library," replies Mary in her characteristic soft tone. Gray directs his response towards Jack.

"Not all of us have the luxury of goofing off all day, there's studying to be done and work to finish." Jack seems unfazed by the remark as Popuri continues on.

"Hey, do you guys remember that music box we found when we were kids? I don't know, for some reason I was thinking about it and that beautiful song it played, only I'm not even sure if I remember the song, but I really really would like to see it and maybe we can fix it—"

"I remember." Gray stands with his hands in his pockets, his ball cap obscuring his eyes under the shade of the bill. Like the other boys, he has changed too, growing almost as tall as Jack with his arms also showing the muscle of physical labor and a farmer's tan.

"Oh really, Gray!" Popuri clasps her hands and jumps in excitement, "do you know where it is?" He responds to her question with a sigh and a grunt. Mary looks down at her feet that don a pair of brown loafers, which causes her long, dark hair knitted into a braid to fall forward over her shoulder. In an attempt to relieve the awkward silence, Jack assures Popuri that they will all do their best to find the music box. Gray walks away without another word and Mary follows behind. An oblivious Popuri waves goodbye and continues down the dirt path.

"Geez, what's with Gray. He's always butthurt about something," observes Jack as he and Popuri stop in front of her yellow brick house that seems to have flowers spilling out of the window sills. The sunset leaves behind a warm shade of pink in the sky, Popuri's favorite color.

"Mmm, that's just the way he is. He's always kinda moody but he means well!" and with that innocent remark her thoughts go immediately elsewhere, particularly to a small blue flower that is growing between the cracks in the sidewalk. As she kneels down to observe it- but not pick it, for that is against her flower morals- Jack takes the opportunity to ask her something he had been putting off for quite a while.

"Hey, Poppy…do you wanna go to the Goddess Festival with me?" he knows that this question carries with it a lot of weight, for asking a girl to the Goddess Festival is essentially asking her on a date. Popuri touches the delicate petals of the tiny blue flower for a few more seconds before replying which causes him to silently regret asking.

"I'd love to go to the Goddess Festival with you! Did you know that when I was born, the Goddess Festival fell on that same day! And my Mommy always said that I was like the Harvest Goddess reincarnated but that's silly because I don't believe in reincarnation and the goddess isn't even real but still, I thought that was so cool because everyone always says it's funny because I love flowers so much and of course the Goddess loves flowers too!" she continues on until the light on the front of the house blinks and comes to life, informing them that their day had come to an end.

"Okay, so I'll see you at the festival then?"

"Well that's not for a few days, I'll see you before then!" she replies with a smile as she stands in front of the open front door. Light from inside the house pours onto her, giving her silhouette an ethereal glow, "see you later, Jack! And watch the baby flower, don't step on it!" Jack is cautious of his footing as he makes his way back to the farm. Lost in his own thoughts, he doesn't notice Gray and Mary parting at the crossroads, an occurrence that was not part of their usual routine.


	4. True Blue Hue

**Chapter 4: True Blue Hue**

"I'm not sure if it will grow here, but I think the soft soil near the Goddess's pond in the mountain might be conducive to its growth," says a man, tanned by many years of sun exposure, to his wife whose skin is as pale as an albino rabbit, "it's bloom will be massive and blue, or so I was told. That's really rare, just like you, my sweet Lillia!"

"Oh my! That is so interesting, Basil! A big, blue flower…"

"Why is it so rare?" asks their daughter, Popuri, who looks just the way her mother would have at her age, as she sweeps the wooden floors of the flower shop. For as long as she can remember, her parents had always loved plants and together they owned the only flower and seed shop in town.

"Ah, my little Poppy seed, have you ever seen a truly blue flower?"

"Yes!" she replies, perceiving the question as offensive, "I actually just saw one yesterday!"

"Hm, indeed you may have, Poppy, but I'm sure if you looked closely there were spots of red in it which gave it a purple hue. You see, insects and birds are not drawn to blue like they are to bright colors. The majority of flowers are full of genetic material that will produce yellow, red, or many combinations of these two colors, so finding a purely blue flower with no hint of red in it is rare. In that way, it is even more delicate than any other flower."

In an attempt to prove her father wrong, Popuri stomps outside to confirm the color of the flower she saw last night. Just as she finds the small blossom, a foot comes crashing down right on top of it, flattening its teeny petals on the rocks and revealing their periwinkle pigment.

"Nooooooooo!"

Ann stares at her in shock and slight pain since her shriek was loud enough to call attention to everyone who was outside. Unknowingly, she takes another step forward, further destroying the delicate flower. Popuri begins to cry as she attempts to pick the flower's petals off of the cobblestone.

"Oh my Goddess, are you kidding me?" her tone reveals no sympathy, "you're freaking crying over a flower?" Popuri sniffles and cups the flower remains in her hands.

"Yes I am." Her sad expression strikes a chord with Ann.

"Well, geez, I'm sorry it's not like I meant to ya know," she puts her hand behind her head, "hey you want to come help, I'm going to plant some grass seed at the ranch with Dad and Gray."

After somewhat regaining her composure, Popuri walks with Ann down the familiar dirt path lined with a tunnel of trees, their various shades of vibrant green melt together as their branches intertwine beyond distinction. Both of the girls, though quite contrary in their appearances, find similar interest in the upcoming Goddess Festival and the dresses they will be wearing.

"I may be a tomboy but I still like to feel pretty sometimes..." says Ann with a dreamy glaze over her eyes that mirror the bright, blue sky of late spring. Her face is pale and freckled, but her lips are full and of a warm shade of amaranth. Her thoughts of romance drift over to the farm they pass by, not her beloved home the Green Ranch, but the neighboring Aurora Farm where many of her childhood memories were made. She hopes to make many more memories there, perhaps even live there with the boy whom she has loved since she was a little girl, but she does not express these musings to her companion.

As they pass the old oak tree they each jump up to touch one of its many dripping branches, a ritual that they always performed before making their way into the vast, open fields of the Green Ranch. The horses roam in the distance while the cows and sheep stay close to the barn, speaking to each other in soft hums and murmurs only comprehensible to their animal ears. The two girls hurry along only to notice something very different.

"Such beautiful blooms!" exclaims the girl with the fluffy locks similar in color to a pink carnation, "did you grow them?"

The redhead purses her lips while her hands rest on her hips, "No my brother did. He babies them, though you wouldn't guess from looking at him."

"Don't say that. Looks have nothing to do with growing flowers!" replies the girl with the pale pink hair, her small frame bent over to take a closer look at the myriad of golden blooms.

"Yea, but he always has such a scary face when he's working with the flowers," says Ann, finishing the sentence abruptly as she sees the flower-growing culprit drawing near.

"Well, that's your brother..." Popuri ends her statement with a feminine giggle, one Ann had always been envious of. The redheaded siblings watch the girl, both envious of what they cannot have.

After helping Ann and her brother, Gray, plant the grass seed with their father, Popuri makes her way towards the path leading back to town only to be stopped by a familiar voice.

"Hey..." the voice is low, yet recognizable to her. She turns; her smile radiant, her demeanor ever sweet and non-assuming. She makes no judgment on his lack of confidence or his abrasive manner, or perhaps she doesn't notice. He pauses before continuing, jutting his hands into his pockets and hiding in the shade cast by his ball-cap.

"I was, uh, wondering... would you go to the Goddess Festival with me?"

Without realizing the magnitude of the question and the amount of courage it took the boy to ask, she replies honestly and without hesitation.

"Oh, I'm sorry Gray but I've already told Jack I'd go with him!" sensing the silence, she adds, "maybe next year!"

And with that she waves goodbye to the boy whose heart she had just unknowingly broken. His hands, still in his pockets, are clenched in silent rage as he once again loses to a boy who wasn't even aware that they were competing against one another.


	5. The Wish

**Chapter 5: The Wish**

With less than a week before the Goddess Festival, the town is springing to life with preparation. Flowerbud's Town Square is all abloom with noise as people hurry to and from, carrying tables and wares that will be for sale to the outsiders who visit. This celebration is not only spiritually meaningful for the residents of Flowerbud Village, it also serves as a means for them to earn some extra money as there is little financial growth in such a small community.

Popuri pins two pieces of hair back on either side of her head to get them away from her face which has become dewy like a morning rose. She is busy helping her mother with arranging the flowers that will be used to decorate the festival and separating them from the ones that will be sold. Even after hours of snipping stems of white roses and pink carnations, there is still work to be done and she wastes no time. This is Popuri's favorite time of year, and she barely considers this to be work. Her mother, Lillia, catches sight of a young man outside who is headed to the bakery. She is fond of the boy and knows that he is fond of her daughter. Remembering her own youthful days, she softens her expression as she looks over at her daughter working diligently.

"Poppy," says the women in a sing-song voice, "why don't you head over to the bakery and take a break. It's nearly lunch time!"

Startled by the sudden proposal, her eyes wide and questioning as she delicately clasps a lily.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asks genuinely. Popuri's mother is always in need of an extra hand around the shop. She is quite sure though, and encourages her daughter to hurry along before any customers come in. Without hesitation, she does not even take the time to wash her hands of the potting soil that lightly sanded them. Deciding she wasn't hungry, she instead heads south out of town towards the Aurora Farm, unaware that the reason her mother suggested the bakery was because Jack was there.

Mesmerized by the song birds and spring air, Popuri hums a tune barely audible over the chirping birds. A smile finds its way across her cheeks for no apparent reason as she walks along the dusty, country trail. She loves the spring, but she knows that all beautiful things must come to an end, and makes a conscious effort to enjoy every minute of its fleeting nature. As she makes her way onto the farm, she takes a detour past the chicken coop and stables to talk with the animals. She reaches out to touch some of them; they know her very well for she visits quite often. After a few moments to herself, she is surprised that Jack has not found her yet. She looks around at the expansive field, the grass is a lighter version of the emerald shade it will be in the summertime. A sigh escapes from her lips as a strong breeze blows by. Her hair and skirt is caught up in it and for a moment she feels so happy. She throws her hands out to either side and closes her eyes, pretending to be bird.

"Well hello there, young lady."

She turns to see Pete, the old farmer who has run the Aurora Farm for many years before she was even born. With a giggle, she looks at his blue eyes shaded behind wrinkled skin and a warm smile. She imagines that he must have looked a lot like Jack when he was a young man.

"Hi Uncle Pete! I'm on break from the shop, it's so busy in town! How are you? What are you doing?" Her mouth can hardly keep up with her thoughts as her eyes dart from the tools in the old man's hands back to the fence behind him that seems to be broken.

"Ah, just keeping busy," he says. He is a man of few words, but he enjoys the young girl's spirited nature and always welcomes her company.

She follows him as he makes his way over to the far end of the pasture. As he works on the fence, she tries to help by handing him tools but becomes confused by some of the more technical terms he uses to describe them. His patience never grows thin though, and the girl's chatter keeps his mind off of the warmth of the afternoon sun which is growing warmer and warmer on his tired back.

"Hey, Uncle Pete. Have you ever seen a music box buried around here? A long time ago, when we were playing on your farm, we found a music box in that tree over there but we buried it for some reason, but everyone has forgotten where we buried it! I was thinking maybe you have come across it?"

"Hmm" the old man says as he continues to hammer down another nail. He then pulls the rag off of the back of his neck and uses it to wipe the sweat which pours down his forehead. The hesitation raises Popuri's spirits as she patiently awaits his answer.

"I can't say I seen it," he says after some time, "but I remember that ol' box. I gave that to your mother, I mean your grandmother, when we were young. Err, no. She wouldn't be _your _grandmother now, would she?" The man laughs a hearty laugh as he struggles to get off of his knees and back into a standing position.

"Oh, really?" exclaims Popuri while clasping her hands together in a girlish way, "how romantic! Now I _really_ wish I could find it."

Pete has grown old but he is still strong. He manages to carry all of his tools without the girl's help despite her constant offering. She listens as he talks about his younger years with his wife and how they had both worked very hard on this farm together. His words are tinged with a bit of sadness though, and Popuri inquires further.

"Well, my boy don't wanna take over this farm. He's movin' the family to the city. I'm proud of him. The boy has a great mind and ain't never really been cut out for workin' the fields, but it will be sad to see this old place go."

Popuri's eyes begin to water as she imagines life in Flowerbud without the Aurora Farm and, worse, without her close friend Jack.

"What about Jack? Won't he stay and help you work? I don't think Jack wants to move to the city, he would never leave all of his friends here!" The elderly farmer smiles at the girl and replies in a calm tone in an attempt to subdue her distress.

"I'd never ask that boy to stay. It would be a lot of work for him on his own-"

"I'd help him!" she bites her lip, realizing that she had interrupted him, "I'm sorry, but I want you to know that I would! No matter what! Really, I will because I love this farm it is like home to me and I could never just watch it go."

"All things must come to an end. We only cry when the good things end though," he smiles warmly at the girl, admiring her sincerity, "I do wish though that this farm would live on, even after I am gone. It would give me peace to know my hard work has paid off."

"I wish that too," she says, growing more melancholic from the thought of the kind farmer not being around. How sad her days would be without the view of the lovely brown cows and fluffy sheep grazing in the green pastures, or the rows upon rows of yellow and red tomatoes that covered the summer fields. The Aurora Farm was what kept much of Flowerbud financially stable, as it was the highest earning business other than the Vineyard.

Before heading back home, Popuri takes a long look at the old man dressed in his dirty overalls and flannel shirt. She then hugs him tightly, burying her cheek into his shoulder as tiny tears escape from her eyes.

"Thank you Uncle Pete. I love this farm so much and I will do everything I can to make your wish come true!"


End file.
